Fire Extinguisher

Fire Extinguisher

A fire extinguisher is a protective device used to extinguish Fires. It is a portable device that is used to control small fires. It is very crucial for every kind of organization to install extinguishers at their workplace to avoid destruction or loss. Fire extinguishers act as a blanket over the fire.

Fire extinguishers block or dent oxygen’s access to the fire. They cool down the burning substance and save people from massive destruction. The devices are essential for the safety of property and people’s lives. They are apparatuses that consist of a pressure agent and an agent that can extinguish the fire. They are not used to control fires that have been spread on a massive level and that can cause fire explosions.
Different fire extinguishers types like CO2, DCP, foam, wet, and water extinguishers, are available in the market. Before you buy a, it is very necessary to know about fire types/classes.

 

Classes of Fire

Class A (Ordinary Combustibles)

Class A fire is caused by material made of paper, wood, and textile. Fire extinguishers use pressurized water, foam, or multi-purpose dry chemical powder (DCP) to extinguish Class A fires.

Class B (Flammable Liquids, Greases)

It is caused by liquids, such as petrol, diesel, or oil.  Fire extinguisher uses Foam, carbon dioxide (CO2), dry chemical, and multi-purpose dry chemical to extinguish Class B fires.

Class C (Gases)

Class C fire is caused by gases. Gases may include natural gas, LGP, and other types of flammable gases. Working with gas is highly dangerous and can cause a fire. If the fire is caused by gases, then the best method to extinguish this type of is to use dry powder fire extinguisher.

Class D (Metal)

Metals are not combustible, but some types of metal can be combustible, like sodium. The fire that is caused by metal can be tackled by using a dry powder fire extinguisher. The powder inside the extinguisher can be varied depending on the type of metal that caused the fire.

Class E (Energized Electrical Equipment)

This type of fire is caused by electrical equipment and electrical appliances. In case the fire is caused by the electrical element then we should not use water to extinguish this type of fire instead we should use the CO2 fire extinguisher or dry powder fire extinguisher.

Class F (cooking Fats and oils)

Spillages of inflammable oil or deep fat frying in kitchens can cause Class F fire. This type of fire can be extinguished by using wet chemical extinguishers.

Types of fire extinguishers

Water-Fire Extinguisher:

A water extinguisher is one of the most commonly used fire extinguishers. It is used in Class A fire risk. This type of fire extinguisher uses water to extinguish the fire. Water has a cooling effect, causing the fire to cool down until the fire is eventually extinguished. Mostly schools, hospitals, offices, and warehouses require a water extinguisher.

There are some instructions that a fireman must follow.

1. Use upright
2. Pull out the pin.
3. Aims at the base of the fire.
4. Squeeze levers to operate release to interrupt.

Foam Fire Extinguisher:

It is used to extinguish Class B fire but it can also be used to extinguish Class A fire. Foam Fire Extinguisher is used to extinguish fire caused by paper and cardboard, textile, wood and coal plus Flammable liquids, like paint and petrol. Foam extinguisher has cooling effect on fire. The foaming agent on burning liquid creates a blanket between the flame and the fuel, extinguishing the fire. Foam extinguishers are used by hospitals, residential properties, and buildings where flammable liquids are stored.

Foam type Extinguishers are as follows:

1. Hold upright
2. Pull out the safety pin.
3. Aim at the base of fire from a minimum distance of 1M.
4. Squeeze levers release to stop.
5. Do not use it if the pressure indicator enters the red section.
6. Do not use outside the specified temperature range.

DCP Fire Extinguisher:

A dry chemical powder (DCP) fire extinguisher is used to tackle class A, B, and C fires. DCP fire extinguisher is not recommended for being used in enclosed places. This is because the powder can be easily inhaled.  Dry chemical powder (DCP) Fire extinguishers can also be used on some electrical fires. Dry powder extinguishers cool down fires by forming a barrier between the fuel and the oxygen source. Businesses using flammable gases for chemical processes Garage forecourts, premises where welding and flame cutting takes place, businesses with large commercial boiler rooms and liquid petroleum gas.

Here is how to use DCP Fire Extinguisher:

1. Shake the cylinder several times
2. Pull out the safety pin.
3. Squeeze the handle and spray on fire.

Co2 Fire Extinguisher:

Carbon dioxide (CO2) extinguishers are used for electrical fire risks and are usually the main type provided in computer server rooms. A CO2 fire extinguisher is used to extinguish Class B fires. A CO2 fire extinguisher creates a barrier to fires by displacing the oxygen the fire needs to burn. These types of fire extinguishers are used at construction sites and server rooms.

Usage of CO2

1. Hold the cylinder upright.
2. Pull out the safety fire pin.
3. Aim at the base.
4. Squeeze the lever.

Wet Chemical Extinguishers:

Wet chemical fire extinguishers are only used to extinguish fire caused by class F. these types of fire extinguishers are extremely effective if handled properly. The wet chemical fire extinguisher cools down the flames.But chemical reacts to form a soap-like solution, sealing the surface and preventing re-ignition.

Usage of Wet Chemical Fire Extinguisher:

1. Remove the safety pin.
2. From 1M, aim the nozzle at the base of the fire.
3. However, Squeeze handles.

Pros & cons of the fire extinguisher

Every kind of apparatus or device has some pros and cons.But In the section below, the pros and cons of fire extinguishers are listed.

Pros:

Portable:

One of the finest advantages of Fire extinguishers is that they are movable. But we can easily move them around to our desired place. However, we can move the fire extinguisher device easily to where the fire incident occurs.

Works on a large Surface Area:

If the fire is controllable than the fire extinguishers can work on a large area to extinguish the fire. However, the ability of the fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire depends on the capacity of the fire extinguisher.

Work on an open fire:

Fire extinguishers are not bounded to any location. But it can be used to extinguish the fire at an open place. It is used to extinguish the fire that occurs in a closed container.

Fire can be extinguished from a distance:

We can extinguish fire using the fire extinguisher from the distance because the discharge range of fire extinguisher is about 6-7 feet.

Cons:

Explosion risk:

Where the fire extinguishers are important for the safety it also has damaging effect. There is a risk that the fire extinguisher can explode. But the explosion made from the fire extinguisher can cause damage. So if anyone notices that fire extinguisher is in bad shape then it is important to contact the technical team immediately.

Fire extinguisher can cause a mess:

The dry chemical used in fire extinguishers, when discharged, can create a mess.

Fire extinguishers are corrosive:

However, the dry chemical used in a fire extinguisher can be corrosive to materials made of metal. So the use of fire extinguisher is not suitable to be used for materials made from the metal.

Regular maintenance:

But Fire extinguishers need proper and regular maintenance, and the maintenance expense can create a burden on the company.

Short discharge time:

The discharge time of the fire extinguisher is very short, so this can be the weak point of the fire extinguisher. Normally the discharge rate of the fire extinguisher is about 8-21 seconds.

Fire Extinguishers Usage

It is very crucial to know how to use a fire extinguisher before installing a fire extinguisher device in your workplace. Before installing a fire extinguisher in your workplace, it is the responsibility of the employer to educate or guide their employees about usage of the fire extinguishers.

The employers must practically provide training to the employees. The employer must arrange training sessions in which the trainer can provide demonstrations about the usage of the fire extinguisher before the employer assigns the duties to the employees.

The following steps must be kept in mind when responding to a fire incident.

• Must ensure to make a call to the department dealing with fire.
• Identify the safe path for the evacuation
• However, select the appropriate type of fire extinguisher.
• If the extinguisher is empty, then immediately evacuate from there.
• But discharge the extinguisher to cool down the burning substance using the P.A.S.S. technique.

P.A.S.S Technique:

P.A.S.S technique includes the following steps to extinguish the fire.

1. Pull

First, the operator has to pull the pin to remove the tamper seal.

2. Aim

Aim low and point the nozzle of the extinguishers at the fire base.

3. Squeeze

 Squeeze the handle for the extinguisher agent to come out.

4. Sweep

At the base of the fire sweep from side to side until the fire cools down.

Fire Extinguishers in Pakistan

It is an active device that is used to counter the fire at the initial stage. It is used to tackle small fires. When you want to buy the extinguishers, the question is where to buy them. Furthermore, they are easily available across major cities of Pakistan. But you can purchase different kinds of fire suppressants at the best prices from the major cities of Pakistan. However, Universal Fire Protection is providing the best quality fire suppressant at very cost-effective prices in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore.  If you want to purchase, feel free to contact us to get the quotation.